Patents Examined by Tony Davis
  • Patent number: 10139675
    Abstract: According to an aspect, a display apparatus includes: an image display panel that displays an image thereon; a planar light source that includes a plurality of light sources and irradiates a plurality of divided areas of the image display panel with light from the back side of the image display panel; and a signal processor that drives the light sources individually based on input signals of the image to control brightness of the individual divided areas. The signal processor performs image display on the image display panel using output signals obtained by lowering brightness of a dark region in the image represented by the input signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Japan Display Inc.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Harada, Kazuhiko Sako, Tae Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 10133349
    Abstract: A display apparatus includes an infrared outputter configured to output infrared light toward a user, an image capturer configured to photograph the user to generate a captured image, and a controller configured to detect, from the captured image, a pupil and an iris of the user, and a glint area generated by the infrared light, and to determine, in response to the pupil, the iris, and the glint area being detected, a direction of the user's gaze based on a relation between a location of the pupil, and the glint area, and a size of the iris.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chang-han Kim, In-Ho Choi, Tae-hwa Hong, Hong-il Kim, Joo-young Son
  • Patent number: 10127858
    Abstract: A system can include a plurality of display elements arranged into groups that each include a plurality of first lines, each coupled to at least one element, and a plurality of latch circuits, each having an input coupled to receive a same shared data signal that transitions between different values, each latch circuit configured to latch and output the data signal on the corresponding first line to enable the different values to be driven on different first lines at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Inventor: Bo Zhou
  • Patent number: 10114533
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a connection unit, a processing execution unit, a setting unit, and a controller. The connection unit is capable of connecting input apparatuses that output operation information for executing an operation for an image displayed on a screen. The processing execution unit is capable of executing processing corresponding to the operation information on the image. The setting unit sets one of the input apparatuses as a main input apparatus, and sets the other input apparatuses as secondary input apparatuses. The controller performs control such that execution of the processing for the image by the processing execution unit based on the operation information from the input apparatus set as the main input apparatus is validated, and execution of the processing for the image by the processing execution unit based on the operation information from the input apparatuses set as the secondary input apparatuses is invalidated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masashi Kimoto, Shigeatsu Yoshioka, Yutaka Hasegawa, Masao Kondo
  • Patent number: 10114475
    Abstract: A projection system includes a light emitting apparatus that emits detection light to a detection area for detecting indication positions of indicators, and a projector that detects the indication positions of the indicators in the detection area. The projector includes an imaging portion that captures an image of the detection area, and a position detection portion that detects at least one of an image of light generated by the indicator and an image of the detection light reflected on the indicator from data of a captured image of the imaging portion, and discriminates and detects the indication positions of the indicator and the indicator based on light emission timings of the indicator and the light emitting apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hallvard Naess, Tormod Njolstad, Sverre Dale Moen, Karol Marcin Pawlak, Shinji Kubota
  • Patent number: 10114453
    Abstract: Networked smart wearable devices and methods for dynamic power management of multiple wearable devices and the optimization of the network sensor data load through network control of the sensors in each wearable device is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Nobuo Tanaka, Vladimir Elgort, Jacelyn Danielson, Anton Kalachev, John Wong, Behram DaCosta, Udupi Ramanath Bhat, Ludovic Copere, Masaki Kataoka
  • Patent number: 10108304
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a conductive film that can prevent an operation error caused by ion migration and is suitable for, for example, a projected capacitive touch panel, a method for manufacturing the conductive film, and a touch panel using the conductive film. In the conductive film, a resin layer is laminated on a surface of a substrate. A mesh-shaped groove portion is formed in a surface of the resin layer. A thin metal wire is provided in the groove portion to form an electrode pattern. When a value indicating ion migration characteristics of the electrode pattern in a longitudinal direction is ML and a value indicating ion migration characteristics of the electrode pattern in a lateral direction is MS, a migration ratio obtained by dividing the larger of the two values ML and MS by the smaller value is in the range of 1.0 to 1.4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Tasuku Satou
  • Patent number: 10108014
    Abstract: A near-eye optical display system utilized in augmented reality devices includes a see-through waveguide display having optical elements configured for in-coupling virtual images from an imager, exit pupil expansion, and out-coupling virtual images with expanded pupil to the user's eye. The near-eye optical display system further includes a curved two-sided array of electrically-activated tunable liquid crystal (LC) microlenses that is located between the waveguide and the user's eye. The LC microlenses are distributed in layers on each side of the two-sided array. Each pixel in the waveguide display is mapped to an LC microlens in the array, and multiple nearby pixels may be mapped to the same LC microlens. A region of the waveguide display that the user is gazing upon is detected and the LC microlens that is mapped to that region may be electrically activated to thereby individually shape the wavefront of each pixel in a virtual image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Tuomas Vallius, Mikko Antton Juhola
  • Patent number: 10108257
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a posture detection unit configured to detect a posture of the electronic device; a touch detection unit configured to detect a touch on a touch panel; a function execution unit configured not to execute a function according to a touch when a touch area on an object area of the touch panel is equal to or greater than the threshold, while, to execute a function according to the touch when the touch area on the object area is less than the threshold, regardless of a touch area on an area other than the object area being less than or equal to or greater than the threshold; and a control unit configured to control the object area of the touch panel to be made different according to the posture detected by the posture detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shotaro Yanai
  • Patent number: 10101861
    Abstract: A touch panel module in which a conductive film in which a mesh conductive layer composed of a mesh-like metal electrode is formed on a support, a ?/4 plate, a polarizing plate, and a protective layer are arranged in this order. A ?/4 plate is further arranged on a side of the conductive film opposite to the protective layer. The touch panel module has a visible light diffuse reflectivity of 2% or less, which is measured from the protective layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Naoharu Kiyoto
  • Patent number: 10095309
    Abstract: An input device for a finger touch interface includes a magnetic unit worn on a tip of a user's thumb for establishing a magnetic field, at least a first magnetic field sensing unit worn on the tip of any finger except the thumb and at least a second magnetic field sensing unit worn on a segment of any finger except the thumb. The first/second magnetic field sensing unit is used to detect magnetic flux density of the magnetic field so as to generate a corresponding signal as an input instruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: MEDIATEK INC.
    Inventors: Bing-Yu Chen, Da-Yuan Huang, Li-Wei Chan, Shuo Yang, Rong-Hao Liang
  • Patent number: 10089930
    Abstract: Various examples are provided for brightness compensation in a display. In one example, a method includes identifying an IR voltage drop effect on a pixel supplied by a supply voltage line and generating a brightness signal for the pixel based at least in part on the IR voltage drop effect. In another example, a method includes calculating values of IR voltage drop corresponding to pixels fed by a common supply voltage line and providing a data line signal to each pixel that compensates for the IR voltage drop. In another example, a display device includes a matrix of pixels and a brightness controller configured to determine an IR voltage drop effect on a pixel of the matrix and generate a brightness signal for the pixel based at least in part on the IR voltage drop effect and a temporal average pixel brightness within one refreshing cycle associated with the pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated
    Inventors: Bo Liu, Andrew Gabriel Rinzler, Mitchell Austin McCarthy
  • Patent number: 10089947
    Abstract: A source driver, a driving circuit using the same and a display apparatus using the same are provided. The display apparatus includes a display panel, a timing controller and a source driver. The timing controller is configured to receive an external image signal to provide a compressed image signal. The source driver is configured to receive the compressed image signal, and has a decompressor configured to convert the compressed image signal into restored image data and provide a plurality of source driving signals to drive the display panel according to a plurality of display data of the restored image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Chu-Ya Hsiao, Han-Ying Chang
  • Patent number: 10078977
    Abstract: A verifiable display is provided that enables the visual content of the display to be detected and confirmed in a variety of ambient lighting conditions, enviroments, and operational states. In particular, the verifiable display has a display layer that is capable of visually setting an intended message for human or machine reading, with the intendended message being set using pixels. Depending on the operational condition of the display and the ambient light, for example, the message that is actually displayed and perceivable may vary from the intended message. To detect what message is actually displayed, a light detection layer in the verifiable display detects the illumination state of the pixels, and in that way is able to detect what message is actually being presented by the display layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Chromera, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Atkinson, John Rilum, Edzer Huitema
  • Patent number: 10073573
    Abstract: In a conductive sheet having two metal meshes disposed to overlap each other, it is possible to increase the transmittance of the conductive sheet, to suppress moire generated between two electrodes, and to increase touch detection accuracy in a case where the conductive sheet is used in a touch panel. In a conductive sheet, a lower electrode and an upper electrode are disposed with a second sheet body (insulating layer) sandwiched therebetween. For example, the lower electrode has a mesh pattern formed by a plurality of linked second cells, and the upper electrode has a random mesh pattern including a plurality of first cells having different shapes. An average cell pitch Ps of the first cells is set to be greater than once and equal to or less than eight times an average cell pitch Pd of the second cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Tasuku Satou, Tadashi Kuriki, Nobuyuki Tada
  • Patent number: 10067397
    Abstract: A first substrate (10) in a liquid crystal display device (100) includes a first electrode (11) provided in each pixel and a second electrode (12) generating a lateral electric field in a liquid crystal layer (30) together with the first electrode. A second substrate (20) includes a third electrode (21) generating a vertical electric field in the liquid crystal layer together with the first electrode and the second electrode. Each pixel exhibits, in a switched manner, a black display state where black display is provided in a state where the vertical electric field is generated in the liquid crystal layer, a white display state where white display is provided in a state where the lateral electric field is generated in the liquid crystal layer, and a transparent display state where a rear side of a liquid crystal display panel (1) is seen through in a state where no voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahiro Sasaki, Iori Aoyama, Yuichi Kita, Kazutaka Hanaoka
  • Patent number: 10067574
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method for typing phonetic characters using two keystrokes. An aspect of the invention relates to the rendering of characters is based on the timing between a first and second keystroke if a second modifying keystroke is used, or based on a first keystroke. The method may be used on computer devices, cellular devices, other devices (including, but not limited to tablets), and other abbreviated and non-abbreviated keyboards, whether actual or virtual.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Inventor: Aberra Molla
  • Patent number: 10068546
    Abstract: An information terminal determines whether displayable resolutions of a display apparatus include a resolution of an aspect ratio other than a standard aspect ratio used for image data transmission in the case where apparatus information obtained from the display apparatus matches predetermined apparatus information, according to a determination result, selects a first resolution of an aspect ratio other than the standard aspect ratio or a second resolution of the standard aspect ratio, changes a resolution of the display apparatus to the selected resolution in the case where the apparatus information matches the predetermined apparatus information, and changes a resolution of the display apparatus to a recommended resolution of the display apparatus in the case where the apparatus information does not match the predetermined apparatus information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshinaga Kato
  • Patent number: 10055012
    Abstract: A tactile device for virtual reality simulations includes an outer hollow sphere, a pliable inner hollow sphere, a plurality of actuators, and a framework. The plurality of actuators physically couple the outer hollow sphere to the pliable inner hollow sphere, and are configured to dynamically and physically reshape the pliable inner hollow sphere as the outer hollow sphere and the pliable inner hollow sphere rotate. The framework includes a plurality of powered rollers that support the outer hollow sphere and control a rotational speed and direction of the outer hollow sphere and the pliable inner hollow sphere. A sphere controller then modifies a physical configuration of the pliable inner hollow sphere based on a detected biomechanical abnormality of a user within the tactile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John V. Delaney, Maeve M. O'reilly, Niamh Phelan, Claus Schroeder-Hansen, Niambh Scullion, Clea A. Zolotow
  • Patent number: 10049632
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a plurality of sets of external drive terminals in a marginal region along one long side of a rectangular semiconductor substrate, a plurality of sets of ESD protection circuits arranged in the marginal region and coupled to corresponding sets of the drive terminals, and a plurality of output circuits coupled to corresponding sets of the drive terminals. Each set of drive terminals in a plurality of n columns along a Y direction is laid out in a staggered arrangement with drive terminals in adjacent columns shifted relative to each other. Each output circuit includes n output units associated with n drive terminals of each set and arranged in one column in an X direction. By the arrangement, the drive terminals can be arranged at a narrower pitch, and the total width for n output units can be compacted into that of one output circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Shinya Suzuki